


Contained

by ami_ven



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel's Grace, Dean's Soul, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Season/Series 11
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-11
Updated: 2016-05-11
Packaged: 2018-06-07 18:22:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6819067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ami_ven/pseuds/ami_ven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How season 11 <i>doesn’t</i> end, or Dean says yes— to Cas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Contained

“There _has_ to be a way,” Dean growled.

“Dean,” said Sam, half frustrated and half sympathetic. “There’s not a lot of lore on angels to begin with. And every one of them assumes you’re dealing with one angel possessing one human, one grace and one soul. I don’t think even the prophets ever predicted that an angel with his own vessel would agree to share.”

“And there’s no way to kick Lucy out of Cas’s vessel without kicking Cas out, too?” his brother pressed.

“Not that I can find,” Sam admitted.

“Then he’s gonna die,” said Dean, his voice flat. “His battery was running low _before_ he let Lucifer hitch a ride, and if he’s banished back to heaven with anything less than full power, one of those dicks with wings is gonna kill him.”

“I just don’t see that we have any options. And Cas…” Sam paused, then continued softly, “Cas knows that Lucifer is the best way, maybe the _only_ way to stop the Darkness, even if it might kill him. This was his choice, Dean, and we have to respect that.”

“Like hell we do,” the other man snapped. “Cas is _family_ , man, and we don’t leave family behind.”

Sam ran a hand through his hair. “If there was another way, I would take it, in a heartbeat! But as long as they’re both in the same vessel, I can’t banish one without the other, Dean, I’m sorry.”

Dean took a deep breath. “But what if they’re not?”

*

It was almost anticlimactic, sealing away the Darkness again. 

They’d waited for her in an open field not far from the Bunker— Dean wasn’t too thrilled at being used for bait, but even knowing that it was Lucifer in Cas’s vessel, the sight of the familiar trench-coated figure leaning against the hood of the Impala was comforting.

Amara had headed straight for Dean, dismissing Sam as just human and Cas as just Cas until it was too late, and Lucifer had struck her with his angel blade, reciting the string of Enochian that would send her back to whatever deep, dark hole she’d been in for the last few millennia.

Her last scream faded into a ringing silence that lasted only a heartbeat before Dean lit a match and threw it into the ring of holy oil they’d left in the grass before Lucifer arrived.

“Boys,” said the fallen archangel, “I kept up _my_ end of the bargain.”

Dean snorted. “No bargain this time, Lucy,” he said. “You had to know we couldn’t just let you go.”

“Maybe,” Lucifer allowed. “But you can’t banish me without hurting poor idiotic Castiel.”

“Don’t have to,” said Dean, then added, “Cas? You’re gonna have to trust me on this, buddy, but— Castiel, Angel of Thursday, I say yes.”

“No!” shouted Lucifer, but there was a sudden flash of blinding light and the sound of wings.

Sam clutched the backpack full of banishing spell ingredients. “Cas?”

“I am here, Sam,” said Dean, in Cas’s gravely rumble, and Sam began the spell even before he’d finished speaking.

But Dean wasn’t listening— as soon as Cas had answered Sam, the angel had retreated, curling his grace into a tight little ball. Dean had no idea what being a vessel was supposed to feel like, but he was sure it wasn’t this, an icy knot of _regret-fear-pain-despair_ beneath Dean’s ribcage.

_Cas?_ he thought, softly, stumbling back a step to lean against the Impala’s front bumper.

The knot of grace contracted, radiating pain and fear more sharply, along with an intense wave of self-revulsion.

_Hey, no_ , Dean thought. He reached out toward Cas, instinctively, curling his soul around the shivering angel. _Cas, it’s okay._

The revulsion only got stronger, and all Dean could think of was to hold on tighter, to fight the continuing waves of _fear-pain-regret_ with his own feelings, _forgiveness-hope-acceptance_. The shivering eased, but didn’t let up, and Dean felt a spike of fear that was all his own.

_I need you, Cas_ , he thought, and this time he knew the angel could feel the emotions that went with the words, the slow-burning love— so different than the quick sparks of lust he felt for any of the girls he’d ever picked up— that he’d never even acknowledged to himself, because an Angel of the Lord deserved so much better than him.

But if that’s what Cas needed, Dean would give it to him. If his beat-up soul would help Cas at all, he could have it and Dean wouldn’t even miss it, as long as he got to keep _Cas_.

The angel must have felt part of that, too, because his grace uncurled, clutching back at Dean. _Your soul is beautiful_ , he thought, softly. _I—_

He broke off, suddenly, as a white light erupted all around them, seeming to come from everywhere at once. Dean looked up to see Lucifer— Cas’s vessel— crumple to the ground as Sam completed the spell. Sam waited a moment, but the body didn’t move, and he grabbed the fire extinguisher from the Impala’s front seat to douse the ring of holy fire. He crouched, resting a hand at the vessel’s throat.

“No pulse,” said Sam. “It’s not breathing.”

“So Lucy’s gone?” Dean asked, kneeling at his other side. “Cas can go back?”

“Yeah.” Sam frowned. “But there’s no soul in there. Nobody to give permission.”

_I could try_ , offered Cas. _Surely an empty vessel requires no permission._

But Dean could sense his hesitation, now— Cas didn’t know if he could take this vessel again, or if he would be forced out, back to heaven.

_Hey_ , said Dean. _You don’t have to. You can stay, here._

_Dean_ , said Cas, softly, sadly, _I know your feelings for—_

_The hell you do_ , Dean interrupted, and this time he actively pushed his emotions toward the angel, all tangled up together, the need and want, the promise that Cas could have anything, _anything_ , from him, if it meant he’d never leave Dean again.

Cas’s grace brightened like a smile. _I will not leave you_ , he thought. _But I would like to kiss you with my own lips_.

_I—okay_ , said Dean. _But if you can’t, you come right back here, okay?_

_Okay_ , Cas agreed.

Dean felt Cas’s grace slowly slide away from his soul, as though it was just as reluctant to leave as he was to let it go. There was a moment of silence where he felt suddenly and horribly empty, sure it had all gone wrong— then Cas’s vessel took a huge, shuddering breath, blinking at the brothers with wide blue eyes.

“Cas!” said Sam, grinning, then toppled back in surprise when Cas sat bolt upright.

“Hello, Dean,” the angel said.

Dean grinned. “You alone in there, Cas?”

“I am the sole occupant of this vessel, yes,” he replied. “And I believe I owe you something.”

“Damn straight,” agreed Dean, still grinning as he was pulled in for a very enthusiastic kiss.

“Okay, wow,” said Sam, after they hadn’t broken apart a full minute later. “I’m gonna go… be somewhere else.”

Dean finally pulled back, huffing a laugh against Cas’s cheek. “So, it’s really over?” he asked. “Amara, Lucifer… they’re gone? That’s it?”

“Yes,” said Cas, then paused. “Until the next catastrophe, I suppose.”

Both brothers managed a laugh at that. “Let’s hope that’s not for a while, huh?” said Sam. “Plenty of time for you two to…”

He trailed off, laughing again as Dean and Cas both blushed. But to his surprise, Dean didn’t pull away, just helped Cas to his feet and held on tight.

“Yeah,” said Dean. “Yeah. Sammy, how ‘bout you make yourself scarce for…”

He glanced sideways at Cas, who nodded. “At least a week, I should think.”

“I _don’t_ want to know,” said Sam, then he brightened. “You know what? I’m gonna take a vacation. Enjoy your honeymoon.”

Cas frowned. “Perhaps it is not—”

“Yeah, no, that sounds great,” said Dean, leaning in to kiss his angel again.

And back at the Bunker, after watching Sam drive off in the Impala, Dean discovered that not only had Cas’s handprint reappeared on his arm— but that Cas now had his, too.

THE END


End file.
